Chinese fans were stunned by Liu Xiang's fall in his Olympics 110 metre hurdles heat yesterday, with some sympathetic, others disappointed, still others angry and some suspicious about the circumstances of his failure.
Liu, 29, who won gold in the event at the Athens Games of 2004, crashed out at the first hurdle of his opening heat, four years after injury cost him the chance to defend his title in Beijing.
Within minutes of him tumbling to the track in London's Olympic stadium, microblogging sites were flooded with tens of thousands of comments. Many, including celebrities and entertainers, sent their support and best wishes to Liu, whose injury to his right Achilles was aggravated in the fall, according to Xinhua.
'It's okay and there are many more hurdles ahead in life to get over. Fight!' said pop singer Faye Wong on Sina Weibo.
Bai Yansong, a commentator from China Central Television, said Liu did better than four years ago in Beijing, when he shocked the home crowd with his withdrawal in his heat without clearing a hurdle because of a problem with his right foot that later required surgery.
'At least he made the attempt this time. For an athlete like Liu Xiang, he has achieved a lot of successes and made great efforts over the past four years to stand ready again for the Olympics. Despite regrets, let's pray for him,' he said on TV.